Class Number 18564, 1 cr.,. Class meets Tuesday, 5:45-9:15 pm,
November 1, 8, 15, 29, and December 6. Within the contemporary
American workplace, the push for unions, the process of
globalization, and the possibility of discrimination based upon
gender, race or sexual orientation usually define employees’
relationships with each other, with management, and with society at
large. Such issues also shape workers’ conceptions and
interpretations of their workplace culture. This course will use
fictional film as a tool with which to examine these matters that are
fundamental to American labor. Students will view particular popular
films that address efforts to unionize, the effects of global
marketing and industrialization and the threat from gender and sexual
discrimination on the job. Class discussions will compare these
cinematic representations with the “actual” experiences of ordinary
American workers, toward recognizing the real importance of these
issues for modern labor and understanding the ways they might be
translated for entertainment purposes. Instructor: Cynthia Yaudes,
American Studies, IUB.